Crisis: the action-packed Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller

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Its a shame therefore, that such details are wasted on a plot that never feels entirely credible, lead characters who are either bland, misconceived or one dimensional and some very questionable decisions regarding both pacing of the story and individual dramatic developments. Oh, and I HATED how the girlfriend had been written - whiney Sloane Ranger one minute; kick-arse, kidnap escaping martial expert the next.

The action swings back and forth between London and Colombia as the story moves to a thrilling climax. A novel so pedestrian, trite and unintentionally funny that it reads better as a satire on the genre than as genuine thriller.While there is plenty of action, much of the first section of the book is laying the groundwork – introducing Luke, showing his current situation as a newbie in the SIS office and showing how all the puzzle pieces are arranged. While I did not find this a slow start to the story, neither was it a ramped-up, heavily action orientated type of beginning that a lot of thrillers are expected to have nowadays.

Very much in the vein of McNab and Ryan and while Mr Gardner may not be as expert on weapons and tactics he does the bigger picture stuff very well. Another example of this comes later in the book, when we are supposed to believe that a pair of Colombian gangsters from the barrio would be able to navigate a make-shift mini-submarine with pin point accuracy, at night, through Force 5 seas to a tiny Cornish beach and arrive spot on time to make their rendezvous. This is a literary territory rather overpopulated at the moment, with swaggering 21st century pseudo-Bonds crawling out of the woodwork everywhere. Its just a pity that he does nothing interesting or fresh with the Garcia character to make him stand out from the crowd. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I bought this book, but with the name of Frank Gardner attached I was probably expecting more.Introducing Luke Carlton – ex-Special Boat Service commando and now under contract to MI6 for some of its most dangerous missions. This is the first of currently three books about Luke Carlton and I have to admit I really enjoyed it. With his extended stint in the military, it made sense he could handle himself in a rough situation and had plenty of organizational skills and a sharp mind.

Elise was a frustratingly annoying presence and their was little rapore between any of the main characters. What might have helped though, would have been a central character with enough charisma or complexity to let the reader overlook the inherent implausibility of the villainous conspiracy. Luke figures with his personal knowledge, some good connections and his military training there shouldn’t be a problem, only Luke didn’t realize just how powerful and ruthless his enemies are – or how far they’re willing to go to achieve their objective. We don’t need to spend time with the man organising the Rememberance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph, or need to know so much about the welder working for the bad guys to help them build their bomb (another entirely unrealistic character). I really did enjoy the main character Luke, we didn't really get to uncover a hell of a lot about him.

Villains make mistakes under no pressure, maybe because of ego, but again, given the plot, it leads to the reader somewhat guessing the consequence of the mistake. When SIS operative Jeremy Benton is murdered in Tumaco, Colombia, ex-SBS and ‘probationary’ agent Luke Carlton, who spent his childhood growing up in Colombia, is despatched to investigate. The lead up to the last two chapters had me squirming in my seat wondering what the hell would happen next, only to then turn the page and read a very underwhelming ending. Frank Gardner has penned a great first novel that combines all the attributes of a riveting thriller.